Green Goddess Spinach Pesto Pasta Recipe
A vibrant and creamy Green Goddess Spinach Pesto Pasta made with fresh spinach, basil, and nuts, blended into a flavorful pesto sauce with a zesty lemon kick and Parmesan cheese. This easy and nutritious pasta dish is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a light lunch, delivering a fresh twist on classic pesto with added greens and customizable seasonings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2-3
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Pasta
- 200 gm pasta of choice
Pesto Sauce
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup cashews or pine nuts (or nuts of choice)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (can substitute with feta, cottage cheese, or ricotta for more protein)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- Seasonings: chilli flakes, oregano, salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Cook your pasta of choice until just shy of al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water for later use.
- Toast Nuts: In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the nuts until lightly charred and fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Blanch Spinach: Blanche the spinach leaves in hot water for 30 seconds, then immediately transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Prepare Pesto: Squeeze out all excess water from the blanched spinach. Add spinach, basil leaves, chopped parsley, toasted nuts, lemon juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, Parmesan (or cheese substitute), and your chosen seasonings into a blender jar.
- Blend Pesto: Blitz the ingredients until smooth and creamy, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar as needed.
- Heat Pesto Sauce: Transfer the pesto to a pan on low heat, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, and stir gently until the sauce comes to a soft simmer.
- Toss Pasta with Pesto: Mix the cooked pasta into the pesto sauce, tossing well to combine evenly.
- Serve: Serve immediately, garnished with extra basil leaves and Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- You can use any type of pasta you prefer, such as penne, fusilli, or spaghetti.
- Substitute nuts with walnuts or almonds if preferred, but adjust toasting time accordingly.
- To make it vegan, replace Parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast or vegan cheese alternatives.
- Reserve pasta water carefully; it helps in loosening and binding the pesto sauce to the pasta.
- Adjust seasoning to taste; adding chilli flakes adds a pleasant heat to the dish.
- Blanching spinach helps retain its vibrant color and reduces bitterness.
